The information on foods’ packaging can help you make healthy choices in the grocery store. Here are some tips to help you understand the information listed on grocery items.
Rabbit Pancakes
What you need: 1 ¼ cup milk 5 tsp. Lemon juice or cider vinegar ½ cup whole wheat flour ½ cup oats 1 tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt 1 tbsp. vegetable oil 1 egg, lightly beaten ½ cup grated carrots Non-stick vegetable cooking spray How to : Make sour milk. Warm the milk slightly in the microwave or in a pot on the stove. Add lemon juice or cider vinegar and stir well. Allow this mixture to rest while you assemble the rest of the ingredients. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir well. Add the vegetable oil, sour milk, egg and carrots. Beat the mixture with a hand beater until smooth. Spray griddle with non-stick cooking spray. Heat griddle to a medium heat. (To see if the griddle is hot enough, sprinkle with a few drops of water. If bubbles skitter around, the temperature is just right). Using a measuring cup, pour about ¼ cup of batter onto the hot griddle for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are puffed and dry around edges. Turn and cook the other side until golden brown. Top with applesauce, fresh fruits or yogurt. Makes 16, four inches (10 cm) pancakes. *Source: LEAP – Food Flair, Legacies Now, p. 155-156.
Tips for healthy eating that won’t break the bank!
Healthy eating can sometimes come at a cost…but it doesn’t have to! We’ve compiled a list of tips and reminders to help you shop on a budget and help you find ways to store fresh foods for longer periods of time:
Helping Your Picky Eater
There are many reasons why children might not eat some foods. Sometimes they’re learning that they can say no or other times the food tastes too strong for their young taste buds. Often, however, it can be that they just aren’t used to the food, and they need more chances to experience the food before they will eat it.
Combatting Cabin Fever
What can you do with your kids when it’s –50°C outside and you’re stuck inside? There are a lot of ways to stay active indoors without a large space. It’s important to help your kids find ways to move inside, so they don’t get stuck in front of the television.
This time of year can be busy!
Between holiday parties and school concerts, you might feel as though you don’t have enough time to eat healthy foods. It’s important to maintain a routine around meal times even when you’re busy since it helps preschoolers learn to listen to their bodies and eat enough food for all they do in a day.
Fruit Pizza
What you need: 30 cm (12 in) prepared thin-crust pizza crust 1 cup (8 oz) light cream cheese 1 banana, peeled and sliced 4 cups assorted fresh fruit (pineapple chunks or slices, blueberries, strawberries, honeydew, cantaloupe, pitted cherries, apricot, and apple, peach or pear slices) Non-stick cooking spray How to : Coat pizza pan with cooking spray. Place crust on pizza pan and bake at 350° F (175° C) for 8-10 minutes. Cool. Spread light cream cheese over cooled crust. Arrange banana slices and assorted fruit on pizza. Cut into 30 pieces. Serves 30 children. *Source : LEAP – Food Flair, Legacies Now, p. 129.
Ranch Dip for Kids
Want to make a big plate of veggies disappear? Just serve this dip—kids find it irresistible! What you need: 2/3 cup sour cream 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1 tbsp. cider vinegar 1 tsp. dried dill weed 1 tsp. Dijon-type mustard Pinch salt Pinch pepper How to: In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise and vinegar until smooth. Add dill, mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk to blend. Makes one cup. Cover and refrigerate for up to one week. *Recipe adapted from Better Food for Kids, Your Essential Guide to Nutrition for All Children from Age 2 to 10 by Joanne Saab and Daina Kalnins.
Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple, and Red Lentil Soup
One of our centres shared this recipe with us. Every time they make it, the kids gobble it up! Perfect for lunch on a cold winter’s day. What you need: 1/4 cup butter 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped 1 apple peeled, cored, and chopped 1 onion, chopped 1/2 cup red lentils 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger 1/2 tsp ground pepper 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp paprika 4 cups vegetable broth Plain yogurt How to: Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Place the chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, apple, and onion in the pot. Stir and cook the apples and vegetables until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir the lentils, ginger, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and vegetable broth into the pot with the apple and vegetable mixture. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes. Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Return the pureed soup to the cooking pot. Bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat, about 10 minutes. Add water as needed to thin the soup to your preferred consistency. Serve with yogurt for garnish. *Recipe from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-potato-carrot-apple-and-red-lentil-soup/
Apple Gingerbread
Gingerbread is a comforting food for winter. Including apple makes this recipe extra moist and extra healthy, and molasses is a source of iron. Serve this gingerbread as a snack with applesauce, or as a dessert with real whip cream. What you need: 2 cups All-purpose flour (or try a blend of 1 cup all-purpose and ¾ cup of whole grain flour) ¼ cup Granulated sugar 2 tsp. Baking powder 1 tsp. Baking soda 1 tsp. Ground ginger ½ tsp. Ground cinnamon ½ tsp. Ground nutmeg ½ tsp. Salt ½ cup Butter or margarine 2 Eggs ½ cup Molasses ⅓ cup 2% milk 1 Medium apple, peeled and grated How to: Preheat the oven to 350° F (180°C). In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together butter, eggs, and molasses. Stir in dry ingredients, a little at a time, alternating with small additions of milk. Fold in apples. Pour into greased 13”x9” baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before cutting into 15 pieces. *Recipe adapted from Better Food for Kids, Your Essential Guide to Nutrition for All Children from Age 2 to 10 by Joanne Saab and Daina Kalnins.
Healthy Start – Be active, live well
Want to know more about Healthy Start? Check out this video!
Family in motion Day
Take time to be active for this year’s Family Day holiday on February 16, 2015. There will be many activities happening across Saskatchewan for children, parents and caregivers to get moving! Healthy Start will be doing a LEAP activity circuit and a few other games at l’École Canadienne-Francaise, 1407 Albert Avenue in Saskatoon from 1-3pm. Please stop by for some great ideas to keep active indoors during the winter months. For further information on the event, please call the Healthy Start team at 306-621-6413. After participating, send a story or picture of how your family was physically active to [email protected] for a chance to win a Ski Adventure at Table Mountain!